AT&T Rebrands. Again

The wireless giant's revenues are surging, but it's still struggling to make the most of its new corporate identity

by Matt Vella

New ads create quirky titles based on various city names. AT&T

Will consumers connect with the sometimes hard to pronounce taglines? AT&T

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The country's largest wireless company, San Antonio-based AT&T (T), announced on Sept. 11 that it would reshuffle some key elements of its corporate identity, revealing a communications giant still grappling to find its voice in the rapidly evolving cellular market.

AT&T said Tuesday it will further incorporate the signature Cingular orange hue into its branding, including online, on billing statements, and in its 1,900 U.S. stores. At the same time, the company will launch splashy new television and Internet marketing campaigns, including six nationally broadcast TV spots directed by Wes Anderson, whose films, including Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, have attracted a stylish, hipster following. AT&T, working with agencies BBDO Worldwide, Rich Media, and Big Icon U.S., would not disclose how much it's spending to make the branding changes.

AT&T is still attempting to figure out a coherent brand proposition following its titanic $86 billion merger with one of Cingular's former parents, BellSouth, finalized last year. The union presented the company with an opportunity to transform itself from an old-world telecom into a cutting-edge wireless player. But many consumers still associate AT&T with old-fashioned landlines and 10-lb. phone books amid a world of high-speed digital networks and Web-based personal networking. Cingular, meanwhile, the roguish cellular upstart created by SBC and BellSouth seven years ago, had a more modern look that didn't jibe with AT&T's monolithic feel. Reconciling the two has provided a branding conundrum, and it's by no means clear that this latest round of redesigns has solved the company's identity issues.

Identity Crisis?

The new proposition sees the company heading back to basics in an attempt to convey the seamless blend of both merged companies. And, in a move that suggests executives may regret having been so quick to ditch all things Brand Cingular (its quirky but memorable "Jack" logo, often shown bouncing around the screen in ads, was officially retired in May) the wireless company's characteristic effervescent orange will now get more prominent play throughout AT&T's wireless operations. Monthly billing statements adopted the new color in July, and everything from signs to marketing materials within AT&T's retail outlets should be complete by the end of next month. The company's Web site will be upgraded to reflect the new color while other updated elements such as building signs, awnings, and product packaging, will also roll out in the next few months.

The company's commitment to the new identity scheme may be reflected in its decision to make over its brick-and-mortar outlets. "Capital investment in the stores is usually a sign of a long-term brand investment, which is written off over a period of three to maybe five years," says Bill Gardner of the Wichita-based brand and design firm, Gardner Design. Gardner also runs the logo design Web site, Logolounge.com.

But, some branding experts are skeptical about how much effect adopting more of Cingular's orange can really have on AT&T's image. "Simply adding more color isn't going to change people's view of AT&T," says Tom Geismar, co-founder of the New York-based firm Chermayeff & Geismar, which has designed iconic corporate logos for companies including Mobil, Public Broadcasting Service, NBC (GE), and Intel (INTC). "Cingular's whole look and presentation was just much fresher."